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A BBC documentary has exposed that Pope Benedict XVI, aka Cardinal Ratzinger, played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests.

In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety.

The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

A secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church is examined by BBC documentary show Panorama.

Crimen Sollicitationis was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the Pope.

It instructs bishops on how to deal with allegations of child abuse against priests and has been seen by few outsiders.

Critics say the document has been used to evade prosecution for sex crimes.

Crimen Sollicitationis was written in 1962 in Latin and given to Catholic bishops worldwide who are ordered to keep it locked away in the church safe.

It instructs them how to deal with priests who solicit sex from the confessional. It also deals with "any obscene external act ... with youths of either sex."

It imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witnesses.

Breaking that oath means excommunication from the Catholic Church.

Reporting for Panorama, Colm O'Gorman finds seven priests with child abuse allegations made against them living in and around the Vatican City.

One of the priests, Father Joseph Henn, has been indicted on 13 molestation charges brought by a grand jury in the United States.

During filming for Sex Crimes and the Vatican, Colm finds Father Henn is fighting extradition orders from inside the headquarters of this religious order in the Vatican.

The Vatican has not compelled him to return to America to face the charges against him.

After filming, Father Henn lost his fight against extradition but fled the headquarters and is believed to be hiding in Italy while there is an international warrant for his arrest.

Colm O'Gorman was raped by a Catholic priest in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford in Ireland when he was 14 years old.

Father Fortune was charged with 66 counts of sexual, indecent assault and another serious sexual offence relating to eight boys but he committed suicide on the eve of his trial.

Colm started an investigation with the BBC in March 2002 which led to the resignation of Dr Brendan Comiskey, the bishop leading the Ferns Diocese.

Colm then pushed for a government inquiry which led to the Ferns Report.

It was published in October 2005 and found: "A culture of secrecy and fear of scandal that led bishops to place the interests of the Catholic Church ahead of the safety of children."

The Catholic Church has 50 million children in its worldwide congregation and no universal child protection policy although in the UK there is the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children & Vulnerable Adults.

In some countries this means that the Crimen Sollicitationis is the only policy followed.

The Vatican has refused repeated requests from Panorama to respond to any of the cases shown in the film.

As with so much else in its history of inquistions, pogroms, papal whoremongering, complicity with Hitler etc. this simply illustrates what Roman Catholicism is: a whorehouse with a cross on the roof run by gansters and child molesting perverts.

It is also demonstrates what Roman Catholicism is not - it is not what Jesus Christ ever taught but is rather a spiritually and morally bankrupt monument to religious hypocrisy, corruption, and tieranny of the lowest kind.

Due to my mother I was brought up Roman Catholic. After reading the New Testament however I renounced Catholicism and converted to Christianity.

I can only feel compassion for Catholic people. I hope they renounce this child abusing den of Satanic treachery run by theocratic hoodlums and rather consider the real teachings of Jesus as an alternative.

Sincerely,
JJ Prasch

Posted by ueberbill on 2006-10-10 15:56:08

Don't know if I would refer to it as a "child abusing den of Satanic treachery" as that's a little... crazy. It certainly is a dangerously insular ancient organization with deadly serious accountability problems, though. But to try to balance out the Catholic church's horrors, I would point to its role in the preservation of early civilization through the long dark ages (read the really excellent "How The Irish Saved Civilization" for proof). I'm not entirely defending the big C but I do think that it has done some good throughout human history.

Posted by Manuel D. Mirabal on 2006-10-18 20:09:46

I feel that the Catholic Church has been a safe haven for the sexually aberrant for almost two millenia. This is to be expected of an organization that denies equality to women in the ministry and continues its tenacity concerning celibacy for priests. It is true that the CC has done, and continues to do, much good in the world, but that will never erase all the injustice, the pain and suffering, or the tyranny exercised by the CC whenever it has been able to influence secular government. Protestant churches have also been guilty of the latter.

honor truth abhor evilPosted by stone on 2007-02-10 23:06:01

The catholic church has done everything possible to stop the gospel of christ from reaching the people[banning the bible, burning people alive for translating the bible into their own language]. Either worship the pope/catholic church or worship Christ, the choice is yours.

Posted by Pile on 2007-03-06 00:08:59

I am amused that one faction of christians is dissing another faction of christians. I have a hard time distinguishing which sect is superior to any other.

Posted by postnlink.net on 2007-07-11 12:47:30

The days of Roman Catholic Church are numbered. A biblical event is about to unfold. That biblical event will occur on August 7, 2007 which is the collapse of the Roman Catholic Church. The info is posted at postnlink.net

MePosted by Me on 2007-07-17 17:56:50

I hope this is the begining of the downfall of christianity.

Posted by Pile on 2007-07-19 10:48:23

I have a sign hanging on my wall which says, "Nuclear war will start September 12, 2006!" that I snagged off a telephone pole.

You fundamentalist christian nutjobs are quite entertaining.

postnlink.net commentator is wrongPosted by John on 2008-01-16 01:33:05

The post by "postnlink.net" on 2007-07-11 which said that "August 7, 2007 ... is the collapse of the Roman Catholic Church" was totally wrong.

Today is January 16, 2008. The Roman Catholic Church is still around. No "biblical event" transpired on "August 7, 2007".

Why is it that religious prophecies which were total BS are never admitted to after they did not come true? Why is it that those who profess to know "the truth" never admit when they are proven wrong?

I am an ex-Catholic. I am in no way defending the Catholic Church. I hope that those in the Catholic Church who covered up abuses, including Pope Ratzinger, are held accountable by courts. But making false prophecies and then never admitting you were wrong, doesn't help to hold the Catholic Church accountable. Rather, it shows that you too believe in your church's (whatever church that may be) infallibility instead of standing up against wrongdoing.

Posted by turned off by buggery on 2008-01-16 01:55:32

Simply amazing how priests are so into the little boy buttsex. They just love it. Too much wine, I think. Quit the buggerin you old bastards. Give your dick a rest. Jeeeez

Ummm..... Catholics are Christian.A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. How could you convert from being a Christian into a Christian?

Yah livesPosted by Yahshuah Our Righteousness on 2008-04-10 15:22:45

Read Revelation 17 "Names of blasphemy": (DOMINUM DEUM NOSTRUM PAPAM-"THE LORD OUR GOD THE POPE"-on one of the tiaras (head piece)of the Vatican "king." It is clear that "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH, MYSTERY"..is none other than the Catholic Church.

Constantine in the 4th Century did not spread or promote Christianity. Catholic Jesuit priests have controlled mainstream history texts books in the same manner as the Catholic Church controlled the confiscation of the Holy Bible for 1,260 years-to the Reformation-as biblical prophecy recorded.

The "synogogue of satan" in the Book of Revelation is the same Catholic Church - the church of the antichrist.

The Catholic Church was NEVER the Christian church or church of Christ. The Cath. Church from the beginning-with Constantine(very wicked man)-spread terror-any one who refused to submit to the Catholic Church was slaughtered. This continued for centuries.

Now the Catholic Church hides behind such leaders as Hitler; and now, Bush-who is leading many nations to annihilate many innocent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and elsewhere-claiming to represent a Christian nation and Bush claims that "God" tells him what to do.
His "god" is none other than Satan. Even as he worships Molech at the Bohemian Grove, San Fransisco; (see Wikipedia) the same false god that represents satan; terrorizing and sacrificing young children
to their false god; to obtain power by WITCHCRAFTS. This is the means of power the Catholic Church exerts - by her witchcrafts and her fornications and murders; spoken of in Revelation 17.

According to prophecy, soon the Vatican will burn by the hand of the "ten kings" which are the "ten toes" of the beast. See Revelation 19. Make no mistake-the end of the wicked has come. In these days you will see it. The Creator is great in mercy and calls sinners to repent; but those that
remain in their shame will suffer everlasting contempt and torment. This is the righteous judgment from the Creator whose name is holy. Yahshuah, Yahovah is his mighty name. (The Catholic Church took the true name out and put "Jesus", "Lord".)

Christ Yahshuah was never called "Jesus" in Bethlehem or in heaven. His Great and Terrible name is Yahovah- "Yah (is) Eternal." When our Savior came to the world in the flesh to lay down his life for us; his name at birth: "Yahshuah"- "Yah (is) Our Salvation"-his name is full of power and glory. ...and I say, "Yah bless you, out of Zion."

HeathenPosted by Sister AK on 2008-04-12 02:48:34

Keep Pope out of the USA or he must register as accomplice sex offender to child rape.

Posted by Mark on 2008-04-19 08:42:38

People, How do you know a Christian? Who do they say Jesus is? Simple as that. The doctrine part is NOT what proves someone is or is not a follower of christ.
Oh and all you converters? Don't kid yourselves, there are just as many perverters of the gospel and hypocrites in the fundamentalist churches. Probably more. Stop the hate. The Pope does NOT think hes God and Think about the history of the the protestant churches atrocities up to and including this present day.From scandal to scandal, both nationally and in our local churches, the fundamentalists keep covering up for their oun peodophile and gay pastors while they throw their victims under the bus. Just concentrate on the saving grace of Christ folks.

Posted by Neesa on 2008-09-02 17:48:35

I just want to know, why isn't the catholic church owning up to there part in all this paedophilic behaviour. Why have they covered it up and why are they able to continue to do it. Its disgusting! My children were baptised catholics. I am currently looking into new religions. I will not be part of a church that would simply cover up known child sex abuse. Moving their preiests around so they can continue raping innocent children. It makes my blood boil!!!
They can't represent christianity or our god and jesus. I just want to know how they justify their vile perverse behavour under the eyes of god.

FACTPosted by REX on 2009-04-14 07:42:23

EVERY WHERE that the educated man / woman BEHOLDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~They see the OBVIOUS & apparent CHANGE .. in the PUBLIC attitudes IN the ... mobs of . Catholics across this . planet.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is The complete CHANGE .. towards the NON Catholic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MOST Catholics don

pedophile ring being prorected by religionPosted by stand up for children on 2009-05-31 04:39:41

hang the pope and make an example of this legal pedophile gang,,starting with its leader

Ban all organized religionPosted by TheAgnosticPriest on 2009-06-05 11:38:14

I would not be surprised if the Pope himself is a pedophile. The Catholic church is just a hiding place for pedophiles. Shame on the Church!!. Shame on the priests. I hope all those unfortunate victims that suffered in the hands of the church be strong enough to step forward. Then and only then can justice be served. I hope this is the end of the Catholic Church!!!

The last ChristianPosted by BillWilliam on 2010-03-26 09:51:17

Any time we as humans say someone speaks for God we have given that person the power of God. I think Absolute power corrupts absolutely. While this act by the current Pope is in the news now, the corruption is in every Church of every religion that gives someone in that organization the power to speak for their god. I left my church when I was old enough to know racism and bigotry were wrong. Make your own decisions, read the Bible or other religious texts yourself. Follow your understanding of the whole of the teachings of your religion not just some small part. If you read the old testament you will see even God could not foretell the future. Think of Noah and Moses. Love your neighbors and your enemies.

ObserverPosted by melvin polatnick on 2010-03-27 17:57:37

A worldwide epidemic of sodomy is now taking place. An international tribunal administrated by the UN should be formed to investigate all claims of sexual abuse. Immunity should be given to religious leaders that confess to their sins, and point the finger at other sodomites. Those found guilty should be forced to attend sexual rehabilitation centers and carefully monitored to make sure that they never sodomize another person again.

Sexually abnormal are not holier than sexually normal ones.Posted by Anna Nimm on 2010-03-30 14:08:45

I'm not sure what the surprise is. I grew up in a predominantly Catholic area, and the Catholic clergy really spooked me. When you looked them in the eye you could see they weren't right. When I grew up and encountered the organization again in a Catholic University I saw it again, but this time I put it together. This is an organization that basically has a sign in the HR office that says, "Sexually normal people need not apply."

Some people may not know what sexual normalcy is. You're sexually normal when you openly court someone you're not ashamed of, and if the courtship is successful, you form a devoted and exclusive relationship with that person, and present yourselves to the community. And when you're alone you get better every time you do it. People ought to try it. My husband of 15 years is dead now, so I am alone. But that was the way to live. I should say I had two other marriages that both ran for years and those men are the bio-dads of my children... I hate to say the earlier ones and I divorced. That's what the papers say, but they sort of morphed into brothers-in-law or something. I think the term is "we grew apart". But we still get along. Their wives are like sisters-in-law to me. Ex-wives, too. There's one of those, and she partly raised one of my sons. And none of the 6 children produced were ever abused by an adult, or broken off from one parent or the other. They were mostly raised by me and my last husband, but various kids joined the other couples at various times. Everyone is open-hearted and whole. This is normal, honest life. Not twisted. And it's the one and only one kind of person the Catholic Church refuses to employ in responsible positions. Hirees must at least pretend in public to have no libido, each day of their life, so even if you like people of the opposite sex that are age-appropriate you have to be willing to sneak around, because you have to pretend to have no libido. What's wrong with just allowing the hiring of SOME sexually normal people. SOME. Then you would at least have someone who could keep an eye on all the sexual mutants. Oh. I forgot. It's a 100% sexually mutant organization. It just FEEDS on people who are sexually normal. And apparently fairly dense. I'm sexually normal, and I can spot these people across a room. I would never EVER apply for a job in such a business. I think it just needs to be shut down. The early poster is correct. It's Satanic.

And furthermore...Posted by Anna Nimm on 2010-03-31 03:36:31

How can you give a tax exemption to a corporation that openly and flat-footedly refuses to hire sexually normal people, and then act all surprised when there's nobody in the organization but sexual perpetrators and their enablers. In that sense, the government has to be in on this, too. So maybe THEY'RE Satanic. SURPRISE!! Wake up folks. Everyday is going to be Halloween now for quite a while. Until we all settle our minds, fall in love with truth, and learn to see what we're looking at, and talk straight about it. This is what loving God is about. It's not about wearing a ridiculous costume, doing everybody's kids, and throwing up a smokescreen of mumbo-jumbo About God. It's about SERVING God by exposing and shutting down organized evil. Sorry, guys. I know cowardice seems easier. 'Seems' being operative...

It's time to wake up.Posted by elScotto on 2010-04-09 20:13:04

Religion exploits a sad neurological flaw in most humans. These simple folks selectively switch off their capacity for reason, intelligence, and critical thinking, and thus surrender their human dignity, and indeed their very sanity - all to feel special and protected by God, the universe's superhero, cape and all. Be kind to religious people, as they are our neighbors and relatives. But if you feel like having a little fun with them, go ahead and debate the specifics of human, animal, and planetary origins. Calmly pin them down to the facts. For desert, you can ask them where people of other faiths end up when they die. What about babies of Islamics who die. Since they claim to know so much about how things started, right down to the silliest details and anecdotes, don't let them give you the "I don't know" nonsense. Have fun, but have a heart!

Posted by Nope on 2010-04-12 15:25:05

Wow. This is one of the most breathtakingly ignorant sites I have ever come across. If this is farce, well done!! If you take yourselves seriously (which, sadly, it appears you do), back away from the computer and renew your prescription for anti-psychotic meds.

No-one in particularPosted by Me on 2010-04-12 15:39:57

You guys can all count on my prayers. It looks like you badly need a divine intervention to clear up your minds!

concerned personPosted by Chas on 2010-04-14 11:32:20

Just shows what bullshit that religion is a pervert for a pope.

yepPosted by lady on 2010-04-23 07:48:24

honestly,how can anyone even believe in religion.its all brainwashing bullshit to get your money and what not.have you not watched legit videos about evolution or read about it?we have found our ancestors over the years that go back millions of years ago.we didnt just stop evolving and then some f*ck 'created us' its highly impossible and youre an idiot if you cant get that through your mind,yes the bible teachs alot of decent life lessons but over the years its been changed so much along with how churches are that it should just be put to rest by now.just burns all the churches and this wouldnt happpen.

Posted by rh aamanorie on 2010-04-23 22:14:44

Outrage due to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8NVBQpZHRM

Posted by Fuckreligion on 2010-05-02 21:16:55

f*ck the Pope. f*ck the Catholic criminal enterprise. f*ck Mohammed Kill Muslim terrorists. Castrate the Priests and feed their genital to pigs along with the Muslim scum bodies.

perversePosted by you got it on 2010-07-12 02:13:20

the whole catholic thing is evil!

a ChristianPosted by donopa on 2010-08-03 02:59:50

Guys, all of you that are Christians please pray for one another, for all your friends and... all your enemies. Pray for the pope also, because he needs it most. This is when you guys want him to walk the line.

Posted by Gunter on 2010-12-28 07:40:22

Condemning Belgian police's attempts seizure of his files on pedophile priests, witholding pedophile priest files from cases all over the world, and now claiming Catholics viewed pedophilia as relatively ok in the 70's.

It's not hard to see where this "man"'s sympathies lie.

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Inaccurate ArticlePosted by Andres Riofrio on 2012-12-14 01:08:05

Interviewed for a television programme in 2006, canon lawyer Thomas Doyle described the tight secrecy demanded for the procedure as "an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy, to punish those who would call attention to these crimes by churchmen".[15] However, in the study of the instruction that he revised less than two years later he stated:
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimen_sollicitationis

"According to the 1922 and 1962 documents, accusers and witnesses are bound by the secrecy obligation during and after the process but certainly not prior to the initiation of the process. There is no basis to assume that the Holy See envisioned this process to be a substitute for any secular legal process, criminal or civil. It is also incorrect to assume, as some have unfortunately done, that these two Vatican documents are proof of a conspiracy to hide sexually abusive priests or to prevent the disclosure of sexual crimes committed by clerics to secular authorities."[16] He also remarked: "To fully understand the overriding concern for secrecy one must also understand the traditional canonical concept known as the 'Privilege of the Forum' privilegium fori which has its roots in medieval Canon Law. Basically this is a traditional privilege claimed by the institutional church whereby clerics accused of crimes were tried before ecclesiastical courts and not brought before civil or secular courts. Although this privilege is anachronistic in contemporary society, the attitude or mentality which holds clerics accountable only to the institutional church authorities is still active. This does not mean that the official Church believes that clerics accused of crimes should not to be held accountable. It means that during certain periods in history the Church has believed that it alone should have the right to subject accused clerics to a judicial process."[17]

John L. Allen, Jr. has said the secrecy was aimed rather at the protection of all involved, the accused, the victim/denouncer and the witnesses, before the verdict was passed, and for free finding of facts.[18]

....superior to what?Posted by Marco on 2013-02-18 21:09:34

There is no superior creed or a proper understanding of the word from heaven shouldn't lead us to believe that this or that doctrine is better or worse. The only norm or measurement to establish a substantial -valid- comparison is through the heavenly word...and that is: it is true or is not. It is the word of the eternal or it is not. if you can't understand this principal is because you belong to the world and your opinion would be a worldly opinion. I f you have been born of the Spirit, you would know that........................The fact that many different people and Christians or non-christians disagree doesn't invalid the word of our father; it only talks of the relativity of those people and those institutions. Our only hope is at the very individual and personal level in recognizing our duty to read, listen and apprehend the word of God with prayer and not leaving that responsibility to no institution, creed or denomination. THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR ONLY HOPE for truth, life and salvation.

Benny the RatPosted by Howard T. Lewis III on 2013-02-24 00:55:35

If Benny was a Christian, he would know God's anger at the exploitation of children. Far from forgiveness, God has other plans for Benny and his pals. The devil does not share his toys. Benny's sins will not be cleansed by the blood of Christ. Benny knew he was showing contempt for that which is sacred and good. So did the cardinals who put him in as pope.

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